by Ethan Johnson
September 7, 2008

I made time Saturday morning to take an exploratory bike ride down a road that seemed impossible to safely travel upon except by car. Not only is it a high-traffic road, but it's very hilly (for here) and I didn't know if I had the necessary stamina to make the trip successfully. I learned at least two things today: 1) I need 27 inches of daylight (explanation forthcoming), and 2) how to repair a flat tire.

McDermott Road, like many Plano streets, is busy during rush hour on weekdays and light and variable during the day or on weekends. Sundays seem to be the lightest traffic days. However, as with any street predominantly used by cars, the would-be bicycle commuter has to be extra cautious and know his/her limits. Plano really didn't plan on sharing the roads with bicycles, or they would have done what neighboring Allen did: They added a 30-inch strip along the right edge of McDermott. This means that I could take on the challenge of that hilly stretch without having to contend with cars.

Indeed, many cars made no bones about driving right next to me rather than sliding over to the next lane to cut me a wide berth. I did my best to bike a straight line, and kept swerving to a minimum. Unlike say, Chicago, the local towns here don't seem to use street-sweepers to clear the crud from the curbs. So I have to watch out for stray rocks, trash, nails (!), and other mayhem while determining which gear to be in when, and making sure I don't swerve into the street at the worst possible moment.

I maxed out at 28+ miles per hour during the outbound trip. Thanks to the curb debris, I can't recommend that as a common occurrence. I was soon traveling up another incline anyway, so my speed dropped drastically, but just the same, err on the side of slower speeds and greater handling/steering. Due to the nature of the route, I spent most of it around 10MPH.

I was amazed that I made it all they way to a shopping area just short of Central Expressway. I picked up a headlight set for the bike on clearance while I was there.

The return voyage was a bit tougher. One side effect of my bike experimentation has been a keener sense of topography. I wonder if golfers have the same sensations. Of course, seeing the road angle up sharply is pretty obvious to the untrained eye, But where does it crest? What gear should I select? Is this going to be too dangerous for road biking?

My gear shifting solution thus far has been to leave the main shifter set to 7/7 (manly!) and use the other shifter to essentially set the resistance based on conditions. 1 is the lowest, which means lots of pedaling for a top speed of 12 MPH on a good day. 2 is the middle, which is often where I keep it set for all-conditions biking. 3 is the highest, which is the studliest setting, but is really only practical at the start of a descent. As with any setting, depending on my speed, I can exceed the rate at which the gears get any "bite" on the chain. Once the bike decelerates, I can get a feel for what resistance setting to be ready with based on conditions.

I checked out the elevation at Map My Ride, and accomplished cyclists will again laugh in my general direction:

While this seems tame, note that there is at least 100 feet of variance through the route. Also note that this is showing the elevation in both directions. I got off easy in the beginning with a big descent, but that meant a huge incline to overcome on the return voyage. Needless to say, my knees were ready to renounce me and all of my works at the summit. I cranked the resistance knob down to 1 and just pedaled away, figuring I'd get there when I got there. I kept a fairly steady rate of 10MPH in spite of the hardship.

When I was within sight of my garage door, I felt the bike begin to sway erratically. I wondered if I blew a flat. Fortunately, traffic was light and I was able to stop (since my 30-inch safety strip was long gone, having crossed back into Plano) and hop up onto the sidewalk for inspection. A 1-1/2 inch nail punctured my tire. I had to walk the bike home the rest of the way. Good thing I was so close to home. But WTF is up with nails in the gutters, anyway? There's a strip on Coit that is really scary, with what appears to be 20+ 4-inch rusty nails littering the gutter. Nice.

I had never removed either tire before, so that was an experience. I have to say, after further ado, I really love my dérailleur. Once I wrestled the rear tire back onto the frame, I draped the chain over the gears any old way, and turned the pedals to get the chain back into alignment. Whatever needed to click away and guide the chain where it belonged did its thing efficiently and without trauma. Love it.

Now, some words of advisement:

• Be prepared. I kinda wasn't, as I didn't have a tire repair kit handy. (I do now.) I did have my cell phone with me, and my bike lock. Worst case, I could have called for a ride and came back with the minivan for the bike. I also try to scout out new routes by car to get a feel for what I am up against. I couldn't have known a stupid nail was going to spoil my fun so close to home, though.
• Be seen. I wore my trusty fluoro shirt for the ride. I had to take the minivan in for an oil change afterward, and had the surreal experience of driving what I just biked. I noticed that despite the safety strip on the right side, bikers can get lost in the mix of motor vehicle traffic. Do whatever you can to stand out without biking like an idiot (the worst way to get noticed).
• Be traffic. If you're going to bike on the street, then you're entering into the sacred covenant of the Rules of the Road. They protect you legally, but you have to play ball too. No running stop lights and stop signs. No erratic movements. No biking against traffic. Think of it this way: If it isn't legal with a car or motorcycle, then it's not legal by bike. I used to think running stop signs in quiet areas was okay, but naturally, one of those "quiet" times will mean a car was coming that I didn't hear. I also look forward to the short rests at stoplights to sneak a drink of water or get off of the bike seat and let blood circulate.

Considering what a law-and-order city Plano seems to be, I am surprised that they haven't implemented a Bike Patrol like Orland Park, IL did. Police officers cruise around by bike and are indeed liable to issue citations for bad biking behavior, as well as any other crimes. Whenever I am biking on the street, and a police car drives by, I use that as my gauge as to whether I am being legit or not. So far, no police warnings or worse.

I have also been pretty fortunate that the area drivers haven't engaged in any risky behavior, like intentionally trying to run me off the road or similar. I have to give credit to the "thin tire" bikers I have seen around who have perhaps set the expectation that there will be bike traffic around. However, I have seen more than a few "thin tire" bikers run stop signs, stoplights, and refuse to use hand signals. I have been practicing. They're not always easy or possible to do under certain conditions. But if you're not going to use them, then a) prepare to get t-boned, and b) don't crab at people who don't signal with their cars.

Getting around by bike has been fun and challenging. I hope it remains so, safely. <EM>